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Monday, May 1, 2017

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby is a candidate to win the Hart Trophy for the third time in his NHL career.

Crosby, along with Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, are the finalists for the trophy given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team.

The winner will be announced at the 2017 NHL Awards at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 21 (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN).

Crosby, 29, won the Hart in 2007 and 2014. This season he led the NHL with 44 goals, his highest total since scoring 51 in 2009-10, and tied with Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane for second in the League with 89 points.

McDavid, 20, led the League in scoring with 100 points (30 goals, 70 assists). He's the first Oiler with 100 points in a season since Doug Weight had 104 in 1995-96. McDavid's 30 multipoint games and 11 three-point games also led the NHL, and he finished the regular season with 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) during a 14-game points streak to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Bobrovsky, 28, set a Blue Jackets record with 41 wins, led the League with a 2.06 GAA and .931 save percentage, and his seven shutouts were tied for third behind Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals (nine) and Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins (eight). His 14-game winning streak from Nov. 29 to Jan. 3 tied for the second longest in NHL history; the NHL record is 17 straight by Gilles Gilbert with the Boston Bruins in 1975-76.